The Espaces Louis Vuitton present exhibition titled 'Le fil rouge'

March 5, 2015: The Espaces Louis Vuitton in Munich, Paris, and Tokyo are presenting ‘Le fil rouge’, a group exhibition of new and existing contemporary artworks realized with the medium of thread.

 

For the first time, one theme is examined simultaneously at the three venues - with each location showcasing its independent interpretation. Le fil rouge explores thread as the prime medium in the practice of contemporary artists. Replacing the brush, thread in contemporary art is embroidered or glued onto the image carrier, and combined with paint. Canvas fragments are sewn together using thread. By stretching lengths of yarn at different scales and in varied configurations, it is employed to form sculptures, trace lines in space, reproduce architectural principles or seemingly suspend the laws of physics. Many of the exhibiting artists do not work exclusively with thread, but revert to it as a medium that offers a broad spectrum of applications and is easy to handle. 

 

Each Espace presents works by four of the eight artists, referencing the theme and the other artists’ works in an engaging three-way dialogue. The first chapter at the Espace in Munich showcases embroidery-based works by Ghada Amer, Tracey Emin and Michael Raedecker. While embroidery is historically understood as the handiwork of women, with the lowly association of manual work not artistic merit, since the 1990s at the latest it has become the chosen technique of a few female and male contemporary artists. The theme continues in Paris with a show dedicated to site-specific installations by Isa Melsheimer, Fred Sandback and Chiharu Shiota. The Espace Louis Vuitton Tokyo concludes the collaboration with a summary of the topic, presenting works by Ghada Amer, Michael Raedecker and Tatiana Trouvé. Hans Op de Beeck’s newly commissioned film The Thread is dedicated to the theme and will be shown at all three Espaces.

 

Dates: Espace Louis Vuitton München (January 29 to April 11, 2015); Espace Louis Vuitton Paris (February 6 to May 3, 2015); Espace Louis Vuitton Tokyo (April 8 to May 31, 2015)